Our Top 50 drivers of the year… (5th to 1st)

1. Max Verstappen

World champion F1 for the 4th consecutive time

For the fourth consecutive year and without much surprise, Max Verstappen dominates our top 50. The Dutchman was acclaimed from all sides since all the members of the editorial team placed him at the top of their respective rankings. How could it have been otherwise given the excellent season achieved by the Dutchman? Ultra-dominant until May, the Dutchman had to deal with the awakening of McLaren from Miami and with the (admittedly irregular) moments of brilliance of Ferrari et Mercedes to go for his 4th consecutive world title. The pilot Red Bull has sometimes been able to compensate for the lack of performance of his car by being more aggressive towards his rival for the title, in order to make him lose as many points as possible. This is how titles are won and Max has probably signed the most successful season of his career, with 9 victories, 8 pole positions and 14 podiums. Even with a non-dominant car, he will be difficult to dislodge in 2025.

2. Charles Leclerc

3th in the F1 world championship, 3 victories

He too probably had the most accomplished season of his career. Emotionally, it was magnificent, with the victory he most desired, in the streets of Monaco where he grew up. He also made the fans roar with pleasure again at Monza by winning again in the temple of speed, five years after its official adoption by Italy in this same place. Author of three pole positions, he especially reached a new level in racing, winning three times, including twice starting from 4th place. His race pace was generally quite impressive, as shown by his victory in Italy where he outclassed the McLarens of Piastres and Norris by making his tires last longer. Despite a less consistent car than the McLaren, he came close to winning Lando Norris the honorary rank of vice-world champion. Despite a slight dip in the middle of the season (11th in Spielberg, 14th in Silverstone), the Monegasque was absolutely consistent, finishing all the other races in the top 5. All this explains why he finished in our top 50 with equal points with Lando Norris, who was vice-world champion.

2. (tied) Lando Norris

F1 world vice-champion, 4 victories

This year, there will be no third in our top 50, since Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc share second place in our ranking. Winner of his first Grand Prix in Miami last May, the Briton has also won three other times, at Zandvoort, Singapore and Abu Dhabi. Extremely fast, to the point that his talented teammate Oscar Piastri sometimes had trouble keeping up with him, the Englishman nevertheless made too many mistakes to hope to hold his own against Max Verstappen over the length of the season. His inexperience did not do him any favors, as did his sometimes too soft style on the track which could have caused him harm. His burst of speed was nevertheless breathtaking. When Oscar Piastri did not take any poles, he took eight. The Briton learned a lot in this difficult season on an emotional level. He now considers himself ready to lead the fight over the year against his buddy and now rival Verstappen. Before stealing the first place in our top 50 in 2025?

4. Thierry Neuville

2024 World Rally Champion, 2 wins

Finally! Thierry Neuville is finally world rally champion! Fifteen years after his debut in WRC, the Belgian has succeeded, through courage, resilience and determination, in achieving a Grail that seemed to elude him from year to year. If the pilot Hyundai was not the most successful this year (only two wins, compared to four for Kalle Rovanperä) nor the most impressive on the track, he was certainly the most solid and consistent of all. The 2024 world champion was the only one to score points on every weekend of rally and, far from the sometimes brittle and fragile Thierry Neuville of recent years, he has not made any major mistakes this year. A season that began under the best auspices with a formidable success at the Rallye Monte-Carlo ahead of the local hero, Sébastien Ogier. After that, the Saint-Vith native achieved the feat of maintaining the championship lead until the end… and opening all the rallies of the season, without ever taking his leading position in the Drivers’ standings. Thierry Neuville managed his lead perfectly throughout the year, partly thanks to the controversial points scale introduced in 2024… but whatever anyone says, he and his co-driver Martijn Wydaeghe are fine champions!

5. Kevin Estre

World ChampionEndurance in Hypercar, poleman of the 24 Hours of Le Mans

The 36-year-old from Lyon had a full season in 2024, rewarded with the title of World Drivers' Champion in the Hypercar category of the WEC alongside André Lotterer and Laurens Vanthoor on the Porsche #6. Estre has proven to be the key player at Porsche Penske Motorsport, being the most consistent of the trio, always exploiting the full potential of his car, even on weekends when it wasn't necessarily the fastest. He also distinguished himself individually by setting the best time in the Hyperpole at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Unfortunately for him and his teammates, the race around the clock in Sarthe (4th) did not live up to their expectations, especially after taking pole position. Victory at the 6 Hours of Fuji at the end of a chaotic race had virtually sealed the world title before heading to Bahrain where the German manufacturer was able to celebrate its victory. Estre's year is not limited to the FIA ​​WEC, however. Reinforcement of weight at Porsche in IMSA, he finished just off the podium at the 24 Hours of Daytona (4th) and took second place at Petit Le Mans. Finally, the Frenchman also took second place at the 24 Hours of Nürburgring, which was truncated due to fog.